Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

April 20, 1918. MOTOGRAPHY 773 Notes of the Industry In General BRIEF NEWS OF NEW YORK IN PARTICULAR MANAGERS in Cleveland are in a battle over censorship, due to the alleged offense of a few houses showing questionable pictures. Officials of the Cleveland Federated Churches are seeking a censorship ordinance from the council. At the first hearing the managers made it plain that they did not object to "common sense supervision," but were against the ordinance proposed by the church body. The churchmen, following the presentation by the theatre men of their side, expressed themselves as willing to have the measure modified, providing it would have the effect of protecting the city's young people. Theatrical men attending the session were John F. Royal of B. F. Keith's Hippodrome; John S. Hale of the Colonial; Frank Drew of the Star; Jack McNamara of the Empire; John Lyons of the Prospect, and George A. H. Gardner of the Opera House. Representatives of the church body included Rev. E. R. Wright, secretary; Rabbi Louis Wolsey of the Euclid Avenue Temple; Rev. Francis T. Moran of St. Patrick's church and Attorney E. J. Hart. Rev. Mr. Wright stated that the stand of Federated Churches for theatrical censorship was prompted by strong appeals from Western Reserve university that something be done to eradicate evils in certain theatres which were being visited extensively by its students. Officials of the institution, the clergyman declared, expressed themselves as helpless to cope with the problem. He stated the objectionable features sought to be eliminated did not obtain in most of the theatres. Where they did exist, he asserted, the performances were frequented chiefly by boys and men. Rabbi Wolsey characterized the institution of the theatre as a greater agency of uplift than the church, because the former reaches a larger audience. "However, the greater its power for good, the greater its power for evil if abused," he continued. "Most of the theatres here would not need censorship." 4? 4? 4? Nat C. Goodwin, the comedian, has won his suit against the Mirror Film Company. C?sting aside the countercharges of incompetency and tardiness for work, a jury in Justice Greenbaum's part of the Supreme Court at New York awarded Goodwin $15,200, the full amount, with interest, asked for breach of contract. The case was before the court about ten days. The actor had a contract with the defendant for six months' work as their star, it was brought out in the testimony, at a salary of $1,250 a week. He further alleged the defendant organization was eleven weeks behind in its pay when he was unlawfully discharged. The defendant company asserted that Goodwin was discharged for "incompetency" because of his irregular habits and his propensity for always being late. Almost every day, the Mirror folk charged, the work on their pictures in which Goodwin was involved, was delayed by the non-appearance of the star, and the money they were forced to give up to the cast for their services in waiting around, they declared, was a considerable waste and drain on the exchequer. 4r 4? 4? The United Photoplays Company, 180 West Washington street, Chicago, has clashed with the law. Joseph L. Withers, head of the organization, is awaiting trial on a charge of operating a confidence game. Withers, it is charged, advertised that he could get jobs for girls in pictures. Then he would sell them grease paint at $2.25 a box, profiting $2.00, it is alleged, and also a pamphlet, entitled "How to Get on the Stage," for $1, the overplus being 97 cents. Mrs. Esther Lindegren, one of his "students," brought the company to the attention of the police. "He said if I went into the movies I must become broad-minded on sex questions, as artists had to give up the common restricted idea of those things," Mrs. Lindgren told the police. "He also insisted on measuring me for costumes, and was most indelicate about it, to say the least." And so Policewoman Alice Clement and Miss Lillian Flyborg, 19, a friend of Mrs. Lindegren, dropped up to the studio. Withers seemed shy of Mrs. Clement. He was right. She arrested him. 4? 4> 4> The New York exchange of the Triangle Distributing Corporation has been John B. Ashton, manager of the Columbia and Princess theatres at Provo, Utah, one of the leading contributors to "What the Picture Did for Me." moved from the eighth and ninth floors of the Brokaw building, 1451 Broadway, to the eleventh floor of the same building. The general sales department, due to increased business, has been reorganized and hereafter R. D. Burge will have charge of the sales in New York City and Brooklyn and E. H. Wells will have charge of the sales in New York territory outside of the greater city. S. R. Schussell will have charge of the foreign department. C. B. Price is general manager of the exchange. 4. 4. 4. Without interfering with the shows and without the patrons even being aware that the work was going on, the concrete foundation under the last two rows of the orchestra of the Rivoli Theatre at New York has been cut away and the seats removed. The effect is to make the promenade more spacious. Workmen completed the job in two nights, starting after the last performance was over and getting things in shape for the house to open the next day. 4? 4? 4* Charles C. Moody, sole agent of Pryer pictures, has opened an office at 220-224 West Forty-second street, New York, to distribute a series of pictures which will comprise scenes in Latin America, chiefly Guatemala. The first of these pictures, to be released sometime in April, will feature the recent earthquake in Guatemala. Carl DeForrest Pryer, the camera man, is the only photographer who has been able to get into the city since the earthquake, Mr. Moody says, notwithstanding that pictures purporting to be of the earthquake already have been shown to the public. 4? 4* 4? Louis D. Jennings, alleged promoter of the Standard Films Industries Corporation, which is reported to have taken in $300,000 for worthless stock only to go out of business, was indicted in New York the other day for publishing false statements regarding the status of the corporation. Two brokers who underwrote the stock also were indicted. Jennings was arrested in New Orleans at the request of District Attorney Swann. 4> '4> 4? A representative of the Marcus Loew syndicate has been in Nashville, Tenn., for a week or more investigating the possibilities of new motion picture and vaudeville house at Hadley's Bend, the site of the new government $250,000,000 munitions plants. Several small towns are springing up in the vicinity of the plant. 4? 4? 4? Ground has been broken at Rockwell place and Fulton street, Brooklyn, for the new Mitchel H. Ma^k theatre. The first spadeful of earth was dug by Moe Mark, president of the Mitchell H. Mark